The principle cause of regional and urban haze, or visibility impairment, is light extinction caused by fine particles, sulfates, organic and elemental carbon, nitrates and crustal matter. Particles between 0.1 and one micrometers in size are most effective at scattering light, in addition to being of greatest concern for human health.

To estimate the effects of aerosols on health and climate, it is essential to know their chemical composition. Sampling is done using two different types of aerosol collector. The first type are filter collectors that are based on the deposition of suspended particles on surfaces; the second type are powerful aerosol collectors.

Most industrial processes have dust collectors of some form or other, the most popular being filter bag houses. Very few of these are covered by regulation other than to have a broken bag detector to prevent nuisance dusts escaping and creating a local nuisance. The CODELStakGardis a low costTribo-electricmonitor that directly measures mass particulate concentration by sensing thefrictional charge created when particles collide with a conductor. The advanced electronics of theStakGarddetect this signal and present it to the operator via a unique modulating LED display.

OPSIS provides real-time, flexible monitoring of particulate matter in the ambient air. Particulate matter monitoring with OPSIS, is a cost-effective solution, is ideally suited for use in modern monitoring stations. It can be remote controlled and includes automatic calibration, features that frees time. The SM200 meets the new regulation for automatic monitoring of PM10 and PM2.5. It also meets the new regulation for particulate matter sampling on filter membranes for further analysis of cadmium, nickel, PAH and other substances.

Air is lifeblood. Daily we inhale approximately 15.000 liter. Still, the air contains invisible pollutants, which vary in its composition and concentration depending on the location. Especially the respirable particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 µm (PM 2.5) were considered to be particularly dangerous.

Particle size, particle concentration and other physical characterization analyses are critical to many environmental applications. Regulatory agencies in the environmental sphere demand strict compliance to standards and discharge regulations. Physical testing of samples for parameters such as particle size and concentration can give insight to the process control engineer on how effective and compliant a discharge handling system is operating. Particulate loading from both air emissions and waste water discharge are monitored in many industry sectors and PTL testing provides valuable supporting data in this monitoring process.

Modern intelligent traffic systems are designed to move traffic in an efficient manner as well as reduce the environmental impact of traffic on nearby populations. This includes the effects of noise, particle pollution and gases.

Particulate matter, suspended particulate matter, atmospheric dust, particulate matter, total suspended particulate (TSP), are terms that commonly identify the group of substances suspended in the air (fibers, carbon particles, metals, silica, polluting liquid or solid). Particulate matter is the pollutant that is now considered the greatest impact in urban areas, and is composed of all those solid and liquid particles dispersed in the atmosphere, with a diameter ranging from a few nanometers to 500 microns and above (ie billionths of a meter to half a millimeter).

It has been established that organic aerosol (OA) makes up for a major fraction of fine particulate matter in all region of the atmosphere. This fraction accounts approximately for half of the total PM2.5 dry mass.1,2 Primary OA is directly emitted in the troposphere from anthropological and natural sources whereas secondary OA (SOA) is formed in-situ in the atmosphere from the oxidation of biogenic or anthropogenic gas-phase precursors and subsequent partitioning of the less volatile products into the particle phase. The current number is that, on a global scale, SOA would represent around 60% of the overall OA.3 However, recent global mass-balance estimations for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOC) suggest that this number could under-predicts SOA production.4 Recent field measurements in urban locations are also in support of a larger share, indicating that SOA is the dominant fraction of OA, with amounts considerably 20 greater than models predictions.

When water-based artificial smoke is introduced into a rapidly moving air stream, the particles that make up the artificial smoke evaporate much more quickly than they do in a static environment. So if you are looking to produce an artificial smoke that better represents the smoke created by a real fire, we would always recommend the ViCount smoke generator, the smoke from which is virtually unaffected by fast moving air streams. Used world wide PPV training centre`s and to test impulse ventilation systems. A Home Office report into PPV (Positive pressure Ventilation) by the Head of the Fire Experimental Unit, Fire Research & Development concluded that the concept behind the technique of PPV was relatively easy to understand and the equipment simple to operate, but stressed the need for extensive training.

The Cleanroom is a combined laboratory chemical, mechanical and / or electronic whose main characteristic is the presence of very pure air, that is a very low content of fine dust in suspension. In the process of semiconductor production, the airborne particles (micro-powder) go to irreparably damage the micro-photoetched that form the chip, creating an electronic circuit defective, and then discarded. This process has forced the improvement of industrial production environments, removing particles from the air, for two purposes: to increase the efficiency of production, increasing the yield of quality, and requirement of the manufacturer (of course based on the demand of the market) in shrink increasing the area of etching of semiconductors (just think of the USB storage media in a few years, went from 16 MB to 16 GB without changing the external dimensions).

Traffic means mobility and air emissions. Thanks to economical advantages, diesel engine becomes more and more popular, but particle emission is strictly restricted by regulations. Determining the weight of particulate matter (PM) is a key task in the automotive industry and one which is likely to become even more important as emissions standards become stricter. To allow fast and easy measurement of particulate matter at any time, METTLER TOLEDO has developed new filter weighing solutions.

The continuing establishment of nuclear power stations around the world pose unique environmental challenges for their operators. Ecotech provides air samplers to nuclear power plants for sampling of radionuclides.
A nuclear power plant`s radionuclide monitoring network enables continuous sampling of airborne particles onto sample filters contained within High Volume Air Samplers. These filters are then analysed in a laboratory in order to screen for any radiation releases. The challenge has always been to obtain a sufficiently large volume through the filter in order to exceed the laboratory methods minimum detection limits.
Ecotech`s MegaVol Sampler, samples at a flow rate of between 120-150 m3/hr providing a high flow rate in order to collect a sufficient sample mass for laboratory analysis.
The MegaVol will maintain volumetric flow rate at a preset volume until the filter is either changed or overloaded. The MegaVol can be equipped with a 3G modem in order to remotely monitor flow rate and other diagnostic parameters such as temperature, pressure and wind speed and direction.

Duct (HVAC) cleaning is an important part of maintaining good air quality in any building, if ducts are not being cleaned properly, air polluted by dust and other fine particles that can be harmful, will be circulated throughout the system. The best way to ensure ducts are being cleaned completely is to visually inspect them, this can now be accomplished using HVAC inspection cameras. These CCTV cameras are composed of a digital inspection camera attached to a push rod to enable the camera to access all parts of the duct work. With these HVAC cameras, small, normally inaccessible places in duct work can now be remotely visually inspected during and after cleaning to ensure a thorough job is done.

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